CN103674011B - Device, system and method for real-time positioning and map construction - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are real-time positioning and map construction equipment, systems and methods. The device includes: a real-time positioning and map construction unit for real-time positioning and map construction in an unknown environment; a communication unit for communicating with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, and communicating with an external The regional server communicates to obtain regional map information; and the processing unit is used for further revising the real-time positioning and map building results obtained by the real-time positioning and map building unit based on the data obtained by the communication unit, and at the same time sending it back via the communication unit The area server is used to update the area map.

Description

Device, system and method for real-time positioning and map construction

technical field

The invention relates to real-time positioning and map construction equipment, system and method. More specifically, it relates to devices, systems and methods that enable faster and sustainable instant positioning and mapping.

Background technique

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is currently a hot research topic in robot localization. The so-called SLAM is the integration of mobile robot positioning and environmental map creation, that is, the robot builds an incremental environmental map according to its own pose estimation and sensor perception of the environment during the movement process, and uses the map to realize its own positioning.

A robot's navigation performance is limited by its ability to acquire information about its environment (eg, a map) and its current location. Accurate and timely updates of surrounding maps and current location can provide robots with greater degrees of freedom in path finding, path planning, collision avoidance, and other tasks.

However, self-developed mobile robots cannot perform SLAM in unknown, open environments for long periods of time without discarding their own data due to limitations in storage capacity and computational performance. Moreover, relying only on the robot's own capabilities, real-time positioning and map construction take a long time and the effect is not good.

One possible solution to this problem is for the robot to perform SLAM locally without distributing the results for long-term use, such as WillowGarage/Google’s RGB-D SLAM adopted on projects Turtle and PR1/PR2. However, the disadvantage of this scheme is that due to hardware limitations, the ability of a single robot to develop large areas is also limited.

In addition, in the prior art, mobile robots can also be guided by an external camera, manipulated by a single server, and collaborate on specific tasks. However, these robots are limited to a specific area covered by the guidance camera.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a new device, system and method for real-time positioning and map construction, wherein the introduction of an external guiding device can better assist the robot to navigate, thereby achieving faster and more accurate real-time positioning and map construction. In addition, because the robot communicates with the server in the system to dynamically load or release its map data, sustainable real-time positioning and map construction can be achieved.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a mobile electronic device is provided, comprising:

Instant positioning and map construction unit for instant positioning and map construction in unknown environments;

a communication unit for communicating with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, and to communicate with an external area server to obtain area map information; and

A processing unit, configured to further correct the real-time positioning and map building results obtained by the real-time positioning and map building unit based on the data obtained by the communication unit, and at the same time send it back to the area server via the communication unit so as to update the area map ,in

The guidance system observes and identifies mobile electronic devices within its line of sight and obtains direct map or location information; and

The area server communicates with mobile electronic devices within its area to obtain map information constructed by it, and communicates with external guidance systems within its area to obtain direct map or positioning information, thereby constructing an area map.

Preferably, in the mobile electronic device according to the present invention, the communication unit also uploads the constructed map to the network.

Preferably, in the mobile electronic device according to the present invention:

The communication unit communicates with the global server via the network to request data of the corresponding regional server;

And wherein, the global server communicates with the regional server to obtain map information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a real-time positioning and map construction system is provided, including:

Mobile electronic devices for instant positioning and map building in unknown environments;

Guidance systems to observe and identify movable electronic devices within their line of sight and obtain direct map or location information;

Area server, communicates with the mobile electronic devices in its area to obtain the map information it builds, and communicates with the external guidance system in its area to obtain direct map or positioning information, so as to construct the area map;

Wherein the mobile electronic device communicates with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, communicates with an area server to obtain regional map information, and refers to the direct map or positioning information and Regional map information, further correcting the results of real-time positioning and map construction, and sending it back to the regional server so as to update the regional map.

Preferably, in the system according to the present invention, the mobile electronic device also uploads the map constructed by it to the network.

Preferably, the mobile electronic device according to the present invention further includes:

a global server for responding to a request from a user or a mobile electronic device through a network and assigning a corresponding regional server thereto, and wherein,

The global server communicates with the regional server, or communicates with the mobile electronic device through the network, so as to obtain map information.

Interact information with the external navigation system to achieve the function of assisting navigation, and then receive map information from the right. Or update map information etc. according to your own camera.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for real-time positioning and map construction is provided, including the following steps:

Real-time positioning and map construction in unknown environments;

Communicate with external guidance systems for direct map or positioning information;

communicate with a region server to obtain region map data;

On the basis of the map constructed by itself, refer to direct map or positioning information and regional map data to further modify the results of real-time positioning and map construction;

send the corrected result back to said region server for update,

where the external guidance system observes and identifies movable electronic devices within its line of sight for direct map or location information; and

Through the regional server, it communicates with the mobile electronic devices in its region to obtain the map information it builds, and communicates with the external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, so as to construct the regional map.

Preferably, the method according to the present invention further includes: uploading the constructed map to the network.

Preferably, the method according to the present invention further comprises:

requesting the allocation of a corresponding regional server to the global server via the network, and wherein

A global server communicates with the mobile electronic device and the regional server to obtain map information.

In the real-time positioning and map construction device, system and method according to the embodiments of the present invention, due to the adoption of the guidance system, faster positioning processing of the robots in each area can be realized. In addition, since the robot can dynamically load and release useful maps, and can obtain map or route services from regional servers, it can achieve continuous real-time positioning and map construction when the robot's power allows. Moreover, since the robot can upload the map it builds to the global server through the network, the server can expand and update the global map in a timely manner.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an instant positioning and mapping system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the flow of the instant positioning and map construction method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

Various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist understanding of example embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to aid in understanding but they are to be regarded as exemplary only. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, detailed descriptions of functions and constructions well-known in the art will be omitted to make the description clearer and more concise.

First, a mobile electronic device for instant positioning and map construction according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile electronic device 100 includes: an instant positioning and map building unit 101 , a communication unit 102 and a processing unit 103 .

The real-time positioning and map construction unit 101 performs real-time positioning and map construction in an unknown environment.

The communication unit 102 communicates with the external guidance system 200 to obtain direct map or positioning information, and communicates with the external area server 300 to obtain area map information. In this way, the mobile electronic device can not only obtain map information or perform route planning by itself performing real-time positioning and map construction, but also obtain maps by partially referring to or completely relying on external auxiliary devices (such as the guidance system 200 and the area server 300 here). Information or path planning, so that on the one hand, SLAM can be performed more quickly and accurately, and on the other hand, it can effectively save its own resources.

Based on the data obtained by the communication unit 102, the processing unit 103 further corrects the real-time positioning and map construction results obtained by the real-time positioning and map construction unit. The reliability of the results obtained in this way is higher. At the same time, the corrected result is sent back to the area server via the communication unit so as to update the area map, thereby ensuring the reliability of the map information in the area server.

In addition, the communication unit 102 can also upload the constructed map to the network. Other mobile electronic devices or users can share the map constructed by the mobile electronic device via the network.

Moreover, the communication unit 102 may also communicate with the global server 400 via a network, so as to request data of the corresponding regional server. The global server here does not directly participate in map construction, but only serves as the coordination of global access, for example, managing the database of global robots and regional servers.

Here, the communication unit 102 transmits data with external devices in a wireless manner (eg, wifi, 2.4G, 3G manner). In addition, the above-mentioned guidance system 200, area server 300, and global server 400 will be described in detail below.

Next, a block diagram of a configuration of an instant positioning and mapping system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the system includes a mobile electronic device 100 , a guidance system 200 , and an area server 300 .

The mobile electronic device 100 has been described above, so for the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

The guidance system 200 may include multiple networked optical or infrared cameras to observe and identify mobile electronic devices within its line of sight and obtain direct map or location information. Of course, the guidance system according to the present invention is not limited thereto. A person skilled in the art can understand that other types of guidance systems are also feasible, for example, systems guided by light wave feedback.

The area server 300 communicates with mobile electronic devices within its area to obtain map information constructed by it, and communicates with external guidance systems within its area to obtain direct map or positioning information, thereby constructing an area map. It should be pointed out that there may be multiple movable electronic devices here.

In the system, the mobile electronic device communicates with the guidance system 200 to obtain direct map or location information, communicates with the area server 300 to obtain area map information, and refers to the direct The map or positioning information and regional map information, further correct the results of real-time positioning and map construction, and send it back to the regional server to update the regional map.

Specifically, when the mobile electronic device 100 is working, it can apply for the support of the guidance system 200 . Since the guidance system 200 can include, for example, a camera, it can easily obtain direct map data within the line of sight. After the application of the mobile electronic device, the guidance system 200 can send the obtained direct map data to the mobile electronic device 100 to achieve the purpose of assisting navigation. In addition, when the mobile electronic device 100 is working, it can send the map data (for example, in the order of 10m) obtained by its own real-time positioning and map construction within a small range to the area server. The area server 300 integrates these data, corrects or expands the map data on the area server. Further, when the mobile electronic device needs to move in a larger range, it can apply for the support of the area server 300, and at this time the area server 300 can send the large area map (in a smaller scale) and route information to the mobile electronic device 100, In order to guide the moving route of the movable electronic device.

For example, in an unknown environment, when the mobile electronic device 100 moves in front of an obstacle, the existence of the obstacle cannot be determined through its own existing map information. At this time, the mobile electronic device 100 can communicate with the coverage The guidance system 200 of this area communicates, because the guidance system 200 is easy to obtain the map of this area (for example, in the case that the guidance system 200 includes a camera, it can directly take the image of this area), so it can notify the mobile electronic device 100 There are obstacles, need to detour. It should be pointed out that even if the guidance system 200 is a camera, the images obtained by it may not necessarily reflect correct map information due to different shooting angles. In addition, since the area server 300 can communicate with multiple mobile electronic devices in the area, map data of multiple mobile electronic devices can be aggregated into a relatively rich area map. In the above situation, the area server 300 can check the area map stored by itself, and notify the mobile electronic device 100 that there is an obstacle or no obstacle ahead. When the information notified to the mobile electronic device by the guidance system 200 and the area server 300 is contradictory, the mobile electronic device 100 weighs them based on predetermined criteria to determine which party's data to trust. For example, if the mobile electronic device 100 thinks that the data in the area server 300 is wrong, it will send corrected data to the area server 300 for updating.

Of course, for one obstacle, there may also be other situations where the information of the mobile electronic device, the guidance system and the regional server are inconsistent. In short, the mobile electronic device can integrate the data of three parties (ie, itself, the guidance system and the regional server), obtain relatively accurate information, and correct incorrect information.

In addition, the system may further include: a global server 400, configured to respond to requests from users or mobile electronic devices through the network, and assign corresponding regional servers to them according to their locations, and wherein the global server is connected with the Communicate with an area server, or communicate with a mobile electronic device over a network, to obtain map information. As mentioned above, the global server does not directly participate in map construction, but only serves as the coordination of global access. When a user or a mobile electronic device accesses through the Internet and wants to know the situation in a certain area, the global server will redirect the server, forward the request of the user or mobile electronic device to the regional server in this area, and the corresponding regional server will provide specific information. data service.

In addition, the real-time positioning and map construction system according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of mobile electronic devices 100 . As mentioned above, a single mobile electronic device can communicate with an area server and a guidance system to achieve fast and accurate navigation and positioning while effectively saving resources. However, it should be pointed out that data interaction can also be realized between multiple mobile electronic devices. Multiple mobile electronic devices can be directly connected, for example, through their own radio frequency modules, or push information through regional servers. When multiple mobile electronic devices are not in the same area, in other words, when multiple mobile electronic devices belong to different regional servers, the regional servers can find the relevant regional servers through mutual broadcast and the support of the global server, and complete the data push.

For example, when the mobile electronic device 100B arrives in an unfamiliar area, but the mobile electronic device 100A has visited and scanned the area with SLAM, the mobile electronic device 100B can re-SLAM it and send the corresponding area server The map data constructed by itself can be used to update the map data of the area, and the map information generated by the mobile electronic device 100A at the area server can also be used to quickly pass through the area. That is to say, the mobile electronic device 100B may not perform real-time positioning and map data Construct.

In the above, the instant positioning and map construction device and system according to the embodiments of the present invention are described. In this new architecture, a global server provides a unique entry point to users and/or removable electronic devices and redirects their requests to regional servers corresponding to their location. Area servers can provide services such as map lookup and route planning to users and/or mobile electronic devices. Meanwhile, as a 2D or 3D area map builder, the area server can communicate with multiple mobile electronic devices and other connected devices to build the map. A guidance system is an implementation of a mobile electronic device location system that observes and identifies mobile electronic devices within its line of sight, for example by using cameras. Multiple mobile electronic devices can communicate with the area server to build maps and locations, and can contribute the maps they discover. In addition, the mobile electronic device can also interact with the user through the Internet, or obtain direct map or positioning information from the guidance system.

Next, the instant positioning and map construction method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

As shown in Figure 3, the method includes the following steps:

In step S301, the mobile electronic device performs real-time positioning and map construction in an unknown environment.

Then, in step S302, the mobile electronic device communicates with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, and communicates with an area server to obtain area map data;

Next, in step S303, on the basis of the map constructed by itself, the mobile electronic device further corrects the result of real-time positioning and map construction by referring to direct map or positioning information and regional map data.

Finally, in step S304, the corrected result is sent back to the region server for updating.

Among them, through the external guidance system, observe and identify the mobile electronic devices within its line of sight to obtain direct map or positioning information; and through the area server, communicate with the mobile electronic devices in its area to obtain the map it builds information, and communicate with external guidance systems for direct map or positioning information to build area maps.

In addition, the method may further include the step of uploading the map constructed by the mobile electronic device to the network.

In addition, the method may further include: requesting allocation of a corresponding regional server to the global server via the network. Wherein the global server communicates with the mobile electronic device and the regional server to obtain map information.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the device, system and method for instant positioning and mapping according to the present invention have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 .

It should be noted that in this specification, the term "comprises", "comprises" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article or device comprising a set of elements includes not only those elements , but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent in such process, method, article or equipment. Without further limitations, an element defined by the statement "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional same elements in the process, method, article or device comprising said element.

Finally, it should be noted that the above series of processing includes not only processing performed in time series in the order described here, but also processing performed in parallel or separately rather than in time series.

Through the above description of the implementation manners, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present invention can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary hardware platform, and of course it can also be implemented entirely by software. Based on this understanding, all or part of the contribution made by the technical solution of the present invention to the background technology can be embodied in the form of software products, and the computer software products can be stored in storage media, such as ROM/RAM, magnetic disks, optical disks, etc. , including several instructions to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute the methods described in various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments of the present invention.

The present invention has been described in detail above, and specific examples have been used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation modes of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea; meanwhile, for the technical field Those of ordinary skill in the art will have changes in the specific implementation and scope of application according to the idea of the present invention. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. A mobile electronic device, comprising: Instant positioning and map construction unit for instant positioning and map construction in unknown environments; a communication unit for communicating with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, and to communicate with an external area server to obtain area map information; and A processing unit, configured to further correct the real-time positioning and map building results obtained by the real-time positioning and map building unit based on the data obtained by the communication unit, and at the same time send it back to the area server via the communication unit so as to update the area map ,in The guidance system observes and identifies mobile electronic devices within its line of sight and obtains direct map or location information; and The area server communicates with mobile electronic devices within its area to obtain map information constructed by it, and communicates with external guidance systems within its area to obtain direct map or positioning information, thereby constructing an area map. 2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit also uploads the constructed map to the network. 3. The mobile electronic device of claim 1, wherein: The communication unit communicates with the global server via the network to request data of the corresponding regional server; And wherein, the global server communicates with the regional server to obtain map information. 4. An instant positioning and map construction system, comprising: Mobile electronic devices for instant positioning and map building in unknown environments; Guidance systems to observe and identify movable electronic devices within their line of sight and obtain direct map or location information; Area server, communicates with the mobile electronic devices in its area to obtain the map information it builds, and communicates with the external guidance system in its area to obtain direct map or positioning information, so as to construct the area map; Wherein the mobile electronic device communicates with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, communicates with an area server to obtain regional map information, and refers to the direct map or positioning information and Regional map information, further correcting the results of real-time positioning and map construction, and sending it back to the regional server so as to update the regional map. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mobile electronic device also uploads the map it builds to the network. 6. The system of claim 4, further comprising: a global server for responding to a request from a user or a mobile electronic device through a network and assigning a corresponding regional server thereto, and wherein, The global server communicates with the regional server, or communicates with the mobile electronic device through the network to obtain map information, Interact information with external navigation systems to achieve the function of assisting navigation. 7. A method for instant positioning and map construction, comprising the steps of: Movable electronic devices perform real-time positioning and map construction in unknown environments; The mobile electronic device communicates with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information; the mobile electronic device communicates with an area server to obtain area map data; On the basis of the map constructed by itself, the mobile electronic device further corrects the results of real-time positioning and map construction by referring to direct map or positioning information and regional map data; send the corrected result back to said region server for update, where the external guidance system observes and identifies movable electronic devices within its line of sight for direct map or location information; and The area server communicates with the mobile electronic devices in its area to obtain map information constructed by it, and communicates with an external guidance system to obtain direct map or positioning information, thereby constructing an area map. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the map constructed by the mobile electronic device is also uploaded to the network. 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: requesting the allocation of a corresponding regional server to the global server via the network, and wherein A global server communicates with the mobile electronic device and the regional server to obtain map information.